Days of Our Lives' Kassie DePaiva Reveals Leukemia Battle

Soap star Kassie DePaiva has gone public with her leukemia battle. The Daytime Emmy nominee, who was set to return to Days of our Lives as Eve Donovan, took to her personal site and revealed that she has been diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

"I know that I have been quiet lately and I want to let you know what's been going on in my life. I was asked back to play Eve on Days and had begun my exciting return," she wrote. "During the 3 week July hiatus I was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia and have spent six of the last nine weeks in the hospital."

DePaiva said she is poised to continue treatment over the next three months and that her prognosis is good and she will likely not need a stem cell/bone marrow transplant. "We expect a complete cure," she wrote.

DePaiva is a veteran of soaps such as Guiding Light and General Hospital. She played the role of Blair on One Life to Live for 20 years starting in 1993 and later played the role of Eve on NBC's Days of our Lives starting in 2014. She exited the series in September 2015 with her final appearance in February of 2016. She was poised for a return this summer.

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"I consider this just a bump in the road. I have amazing prayer warriors, family, and friends that have been extremely supportive and life affirming throughout this. I have a strong faith that strengthens me every step of the way. This has been a private matter but with Eve's return coming soon I felt it was time to let my loving fans know what's been going on. The Days and OLTL family love runs deep," she wrote in her blog post, which can be read in full at her site. "Although I'm unable to be ‘camera ready' now... my goal is get back to stirring up trouble in Salem soon. Keep me in you thoughts and prayers."

Request for comment from NBC was not immediately returned. The soap was just renewed for its 51st season and surpassed 13,000 episodes.

"This is truly a staggering achievement. We have 13,000 blessings to be thankful for today. My deep and abiding appreciation to NBC and Sony Pictures Television for their unwavering support throughout the decades," Ken Corday, executive producer, said in a statement in July. "I am so grateful to the generations of artists, craftspeople and faithful viewers who have devoted much of their lifetimes to Days of our Lives, falling in love with the people of Salem each and every episode. You have all made this breathtaking milestone possible."